The God Who Welcomes

In this sermon, we look at the book of Ruth through the eyes of the stranger. First we unpack how Naomi’s journey of displacement leads to loss and desperation, and we compare that to the pain of the stranger today. Next, after Naomi returns to Israel with her foreign daughter-in-law Ruth, we watch how they are welcomed and honored by Boaz and the rest of the community. Learning from the righteous behavior of Boaz, we discuss how we can be people of welcome today in our own city. Finally, we reflect on Ruth’s inclusion in the lineage of Jesus, a foreigner woven into the very ancestry of our King. We consider what it looks like to have a posture of welcome because we were welcomed first by Christ, and how this posture points the watching world to a God who welcomes all.

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